Can handling machine



20, 1 4 A. R. THOMPSON 2,211,802

CAN HANDLING MACHINE Filed April 14, 1939 INVENTOR flL BfRT R? THoMPJON ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose,

Calif., a corporation-o1 Delaware Application April 14, 1939, Serial No. 267,935

10 Claims.

The present invention relates in general to can handling machinery, and is more particularly concerned with the provision of a new and improved non-agitating conveying mechanism of the so-called reel and spiral type such as commonly employed in the canning industry to convey cans through cookers, coolers, and similar processing equipment.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide can conveying mechanism of the type referred to, in which provision is made for minimizing or eliminating injuries to the can such as have heretofore occurred in the operation of devices of this kind A further object is to provide such a mechanism which is less susceptible to jamming and which requires less power to operate than similar mechanisms heretofore known.

Other objects will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a pressure cooker embodying the invention, a portion of the shell, the reel, and can tracking being broken away in the center of the view to show the construction more clearly.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the cooker taken in the plane of the line 22 in Fig. l, with a few cans shown in place in the reel.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2 showing diagrammatically the two extreme positions of a can being carried by the reel.

The cooker comprises a horizontally disposed cylindrical shell I supported on suitable legs 2 and closed at its ends by suitable heads 3 to form a treating chamber therewithin, which may contain a body of treating medium such as water or steam. The cans to be treated may be introduced into the cooker through the usual port 5 by means of a valve of conventional construction (not shown) and discharged from the cooker after treatment through a similar valve at 6. The construction and operation of such valves is present invention so that the structure thereof is well known in the art, and forms no part of the' agitating construction arranged concentrically of the can track and made up of a plurality of spider rings 8 secured to a drive shaft 9 and carrying on their peripheries a series of circumferentially spaced I-bars I0 providing can carrying channels ll therebetween.

In operation the reel shaft 9 may be driven from any suitable source of power so as to rotate the reel, and a continuous procession of cans are introduced through the port 5 into the respective channels H at the beginning of the canway. The cans are carried bodily around the canway by the rotating reel, and as they advance the canway slides the cans longitudinally along the channels II in a manner to be described until they reach the discharge port 8.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 3, it is to be observed that a channel ll formed by adjacent I-bars I0 permits the can only a limited movement radially of the reel, 1. e. along the line 2 which is a radius of the reel. The two extreme radial positions of the can are represented at l3 and I4, and these limit positions are determined by the radially-spaced can-contacting edges l5 and I6 on each bar In. It will be noted that the edges I5 of adjacent bars H) are spaced apart a distance slightly smaller than the diameter of the can so as to prevent the cans from falling out of the channels II and to restrain them against suflicient movement radially of the reel to permit them to engage with the base flanges of the guide rail 1. Thus, during rotation of the reel, the cans are first supported by the edges l5 in travelling through the bottom half of the shell, and by the edges IS in travelling through the top half thereof, so that the cans are at all times bodily carried by the reel and held thereby out of rolling engagement with the guide rail 1. It will be understood, of course, that the flanges I 5 are cut away, as usual, at the inlet and discharge ends of the cooker just enough to permit the insertion of the cans into the channels H as they are introduced through the inlet port 5, and to permit their discharge from the channels to and through the discharge port 6.

Obviously, the I-bars I 0 may be replaced by other means forming a can retaining channel which provides for the can extending radially outward into cooperative relation with the canway but without being rolled therealong, so as to avoid rolling agitation of the can in travelling along the canway.

The canway which progresses the cans along the channels II is provided with convolutions which are not truly helical, as seen in Fig. 1, but

which extend in a series of alternately leading and non-leading sections. In accordance with my invention, the leading sections are placed in substantially the upper half of the convolutions as indicated by the lines A and B in Fig. 2, so that the cans are progressed while they are supported by the contact edges l6.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the contact edges l6 can be, and are, disposed closer.

together than the edges l5, which are necessarily limited as to their location because part of the can must be left free to project out for engagement with the canway I. Also the cross-sectional area of the channels H must be such as to permit a certain amount of freedom of movement of the cans to allow for minor irregularities in the size or shape of the cans and minimize binding. When the can is resting on the edges i5 greater force is required to shift the can endwise, because it tends to become wedged between the edges l5, and any binding greatly increases the friction betwen the can and the edges i5. This condition is aggravated if the bars H) become rough because of rust or corrison, and has heretofore resulted in injury to the cans. However, when the cans are supported by the edges it in passing over the top portions of the canway convolutions a minimum resistance to endwise shifting is provided.

I have found that by placing non-leading sec tions in the lower portions of the camway convolutions, and leading sections in the upper portions only, for example, above the line AB-AB in Fig. 1, i. e. between points I! and i8 of a single convolution, that cans will be progressed through the cooker by the non-agitating type reel with less injury than heretofore met with when conventional spiral canways are used.

It will be understood that the invention is subject to both variation and modification from the preferred form illustrated, and that its scope should be judged only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for handling canned goods with minimum agitation thereof, a. horizontally disposed rotatable reel having can retaining channels for loosely holding and carrying cans and a continuous helix-like can guide surrounding said reel and having alternate leading and non-leading sections with said leading sections disposed over the upper surface of the reel, each said channel having a central longitudinal opening at its outer side to provide for projection of cans therethrough for endwise engagement with said can guide.

2. In an apparatus for handling canned goods, a rotatable reel having a series of longitudinal channels about the reel periphery for the reception of cans in outwardly protruding relation thereto, each said channel having an inner pair of ledges upon which the cans,are supported as the channels are carried over the top of the reel, and an outer pair of can retaining ledges upon which the cans are supported and retained in the channels as the latter are inverted during rotation of the reel, and a helix-like canway surrounding said reel having successive leading and non-leading portions in the convolutions thereof; said leading portions being in the upper portions of said convolutions for cooperative relation with cans supported by said inner ledges.

3. In an apparatus for handling canned goods, a rotatable reel having a series of longitudinal can receiving channels about the reel periphery,

each said channel having spaced flanges on its outer side forming a seat to support and retain the cans against dropping from the channel as the latter is inverted during rotation of the reel, said flanges being spaced to permit the cans to project outwardly therebetween and being positioned to allow the cans sufficient freedom of movement to be unseated therefrom as the channels pass over the top of the reel, and a continuous helix-like can guide surrounding said reel for progressing said cans by engagement with the projecting ends thereof, said can guide having alternate leading and non-leading sections therein with said leading sections forming the top portions of said convolutions for engagement with the cans when the latter are unseated from said flanges.

4. In an apparatus for handling canned goods, a rotatable reel having a longitudinally extending series of I-bars forming channels therebetween along the reel periphery, each said I-bar having its outer flange of less width than its inner flange to provide can contacting and retaining edges on said outer flanges spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the can and providing for projection of the can outwardly therebetween, and a continuous helix-like can guide surrounding said reel for progressing said cans by engagement with the projecting ends thereof, said can guide having alternate leading and non-leading sections therein with said leading sections forming the top portions of said convolutions.

5. In an apparatus for handling canned goods, a rotatable reel, means forming a plurality of longitudinally extending can receiving channels on the exterior of the reel, said channels having open tops to permit the cans to protrude therefrom, can retaining means associated with said channel forming means for movement therewith to support and retain the cans in the channels as the latter are inverted during rotation of the reel, and a helix-like can guide surrounding said reel, said can guide having leading portions disposed for shifting engagement with the cans protruding from the channels, and having non-leading portions disposed beneath the reel in nonshifting relation to the cans in the channels passing on the under side of the reel.

6. In an apparatus for handling canned goods, a rotatable reel, means forming a plurality of longitudinally extending can receiving channels on the exterior of the reel, said channels having open tops to permit the cans to protrude therefrom, can retaining means associated with said channel forming means for movement therewith to support and retain the cans in the channels as the latter are inverted during rotation of the reel, and means for shifting the cans along said channels comprising a helix-like can guide surrounding the reel in guiding relation to the cans protruding from the channels, those portions of the can guide disposed below the reel being without lead whereby shifting of the cans is discontinued in the channels passing on the under side of the reel.

'7. In an apparatus for handling canned goods, a rotatable reel, means forming a plurality of longitudinally extending can receiving channels on the exterior of the reel, said channels having open topstopermit the cans to protrude therefrom, can retaining means associated with said channels for movement therewith to form seats upon which the cans in the channels are alternately seated and unseated as the channels are successively inverted and reverted during rotation of the reel, and a helix-like can guide surrounding said reel in guiding relation to the cans protruding from said channels, said can guide having leading and non-leading portions, the leading portions extending over that part only of the reel in which the cans are unseated from said retaining means.

8. In an apparatus for handling canned goods, a rotatable reel, means forming a plurality of longitudinally extending can receiving channels on the exterior of the reel, said channels having open tops to permit the cans to protrude therefrom, can retaining means associated with said channels for movement therewith to form seats upon which the cans in the channels are alternately seated and unseated as the channels are successively inverted and reverted during rotation of the reel, and a helix-like can guide surrounding said reel, said can guide having leading portions disposed for shifting engagement with the cans protruding from the channels, and having non-leading portions extending in non-shifting relation to the cans over that part of the lower side of the reel wherein the cans are seated on said retaining means.

9. In an apparatus for handling canned goods, a rotatable reel, means forming a plurality of longitudinally extending can receiving channels on the exterior of the reel, said channels having open tops to permit thecans to protrude therefrom, can retaining means associated with said channels for movement therewith to form seats upon which the cans in the channels are alternately seated and unseated as the channels are successively inverted and reverted during rotation of the reel, and a helix-like can guide surrounding said reel in guiding relation to the cans protruding from said channels, said can guide having leading and non-leading portions, the leading portions of said can guide being disposed over that part of the reel in which the cans are unseated from said retaining means, and the non-leading portions of said can guide being disposed over that part of the reel wherein the cans are seated on said retaining means.

10. In an apparatus for handling canned goods, a rotatable reel, means forming a plurality of longitudinally extending can receiving channels on the exterior of the reel, said channels having open tops to permit the cans to protrude therefrom, can retaining means associated with said channel forming means for movement therewith to support and retain the cans in the channels as the latter are inverted during rotation of r the reel, and a helix-like can guide surrounding said reel and having leading and non-leading portions, the leading portions of said can guide being disposed over the upper portion of the reel for shifting engagement with the cans protruding from the channels, and thenon-leading portions of said can guide being disposed under the lower portion of the reel in non-shifting relation to the cans as the latter are supported by said can retaining means.

ALBERT a. THOMSON. 

